Persecution and Grace – Part 2

1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;

4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 2 Cor. 8:1-4

I never cease to marvel at the grace that was given to the Macedonian church. It is, simply, indescribable. That is why we cannot say, ever, “Enough talk about these Macedonians!” I am sure their story will echo on into eternity.

The area of giving is one area in which nearly all of us struggle. The issue of giving is a real problem with many of us. Normally, when someone asks us for money or some material thing (but mostly money, since money is the god of this world), our immediate knee-jerk reaction is to feel something akin to an invasion. There is a certain privacy about our material possessions that we don’t like people intruding into.

But that is the flesh. When we are walking the road that Jesus walked, these attitudes are the kind of things that we battle against in the Spirit. And it is when we achieve victory over such attitudes that we can experience the joy of giving. In those rare – or not-so-rare – moments when God touches our hearts and we allow the grace of God to have its way in us, we receive that very rare blessing of giving freely and joyfully, and we come away much more fulfilled in our spirits.

But with these Macedonians there was so much grace in their lives that they gave as if with a primeval instinct – in other words, with a power that was not of this world.

Some time ago I read about some people in England or the U.S. (I can’t remember clearly where) who engaged in bitter brawls as they fought to buy discounted goods in shopping malls.

The Macedonians did the exact opposite. They fought to give! I believe it is not that they did not need the things that they were giving away, but they were overcome with compassion for their brothers in need. And, having an enlarged heart, they saw this as an opportunity to make very good use the power of the grace of God in their lives.

The Macedonian example is an illustration of the extremities to which God’s grace can take us. That these people had literally nothing; but when they heard that their brothers were undergoing a period of want, they gave out their hearts. “Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.”

That is a heart that we all need to have.

There are people who love talking about tithing. But in tithing one is trying to give to God in quotas! Can you imagine giving to God in quotas? It is the most tiresome exercise in the world.

And, pray, can you imagine trying to tell the Macedonians about tithing? At the very least, they would have regarded you with of utter confusion in their eyes! How can you talk to someone who has given away everything about now giving a percentage?

The Macedonians were so rich in grace that the ‘lesson’ of tithe would have have flown right over their heads.

But notice also that all this was accomplished at the time that this church was going through a period of “great trial of affliction” and “deep poverty”. It was in these difficult circumstances that their faith was tried and refined to produce these extremely fine examples of Christian-ity.

Whether through persecution or not, when we take the road that Jesus took – denying self, taking up our cross daily and following Him – we will always come up with this kind of life – a life of incredible grace.

[The Macedonians rejoiced greatly at the opportunity to give]

Grace! – the Macedonian Example (Part 2)

1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;

4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 2 Cor. 8:1-4

Grace is the church’s inheritance. The Bible says: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17).

Grace is the inheritance that Jesus gave to the church. Isn’t it wonderful to have, or to own what Jesus bequeathed us?

That is why we cannot lightly “fly past” this scripture about the Macedonians. We must encamp there and see what went on with these blessed brethen.

Y’know, today, to a large extent, we do not have preachers of the gospel in church. Today what the church has is mostly worldly-minded motivational preachers. (In this group, unfortunately, there are also fraudsters and scoundrels of the basest sort). Now, motivational preachers will not talk to you about the grace of God. Grace is heavenly business and these men and women have nothing of heaven in their hearts. So they talk of this world. They will talk about the things of this world. They will talk about money and such-like things.

But I think it would have been rather stupid for Jesus to leave behind the glories of heaven and to come to earth to become a billionaire in some church! It would have been extremely ridiculous, and I am glad Jesus did not do that.

There were only two things that Jesus owned when He was here on earth. Jesus had nothing of this world, but He had something else. He had grace and truth. I don’t know about you but me, I want what Jesus had.

These noble Macedonians certainly did.

Today let us look at verse 2 of this wonderful scripture.

“1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; 2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.”

We read in verse 2 that when the Macedonian brethren were going through tribulation and suffering for the gospel’s sake, their joy was increased!

There is something called ‘diametrically opposed’. We all know that suffering and joy are diametrically opposed. So these Macedonians accomplished a mathematical formula which even Einstein could not achieve: the marriage of two diametrically opposed experiences, suffering and joy.

That is something that can only be attained through the grace of God.

The Bible says that in rejoicing through suffering, the Macedonians demonstrated the grace of God that was in their lives!

One thing I can tell you for sure is that I am not like these Macedonians. In all sincerity I cannot say that I am happy when things are going all wrong in my life. When things are not “working” for me, I tend to fret and there are even times when I have known myself to become absolutely grace-less (and probably even plain hostile) when the pressure became too much to bear!

But the Bible states here that when the Macedonians were going through trouble, it was all song and dance in those churches. That’s the one experience I sure would love to have and to own in my life! That’s grace.

No amount of writing could exhaust the riches to be found in this tiny portion of scripture.

Let us take a peep at the second part.

“… their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.”

Here we find another set of diametric opposites: poverty and liberality.

It is generally assumed that the rich should give to the poor. I also subscribe to that belief. He who has should give to him who does not have. That is Biblical.

But that has nothing to do with a generous heart. You can give away all your wealth until you scratch yourself like Job, but that does not mean that you are generous. I know of people who give of their worldly goods, but they are not generous. You can see it in the way they give. They will put you to an interview, where you can feel all the condescending fog from them descending upon you…

Let me put it this way: grace enables us to do things the way God does them. God does things willingly, joyfully and cheerfully. When you have the grace of God in your heart, therefore, the natural outcome is to do God’s will willingly, joyfully and cheerfully. When it comes to giving, you will give in exactly in that manner – willingly, joyfully and cheerfully.

God is generous. I have been saved for a long time, and I can attest to the fact that God is generous. There was a time when I thought that I needed to be financially rich in order to affirm God’s generosity. But I have learned to appreciate God’s generosity towards me, a generosity which does not necessarily have to do with him blessing me financially. Money, as the saying goes, is not everything. That is especially so with the gospel.

What God gives us is a rich heart, a heart rich in grace. This is all that matters with the gospel. A heart rich in grace will accomplish everything God needs it to accomplish.

When the Macedonians received the grace of God, they became rich in generosity.

Let us take time to examine our hearts and to see whether we are rich in grace or not. Today, let us forget for a moment our nicely-trimmed bank accounts. Let us instead look into our hearts. Are we rich there or not?

Tomorrow we will take one final look at this exciting scripture.

[Below: Grace – free as a bird!]

The Tithe is of Law, Not Grace

I met a lady recently who told me she had stopped going to church, a Pentecostal church. The reason, she told me, was because the gospel in her church had become all about money. The issue of the tithe had reached a level where the church leadership demanded to see every worker’s salary slip in order to confirm their salary, and hence determine the tithe they were to bring to church.

Not only that, she told me, but the number of contributions that one was required to make in church far exceeded even one’s earnings. In other words, church had placed upon her an unbearable financial burden.

“The church has become a business enterprise”, she told me.

So this lady just got tired and stopped going to church.

Just imagine that – a church has made someone to stop going to church on account of money! No wonder scripture says that the love of money is one of the root causes of all sorts of evil!

This is not something I have made up. It is a fact. This lady is right here in Singida, as real flesh and blood as you and I.

Unfortunately, she is not alone. There are millions of Christians in the same position as she is. Many may not have left church, but they have died – through suffocation – with the weight of the law that has been put on them.

Let me state right here that with the gospel there is only one law: freedom.

I probably need to write that in capital letters so a man who runs may see it: THE LAW OF THE GOSPEL IS FREEDOM.

When it comes to giving, there is one rule for giving: give according to your heart. There is no other “law”, and there is no way we are going to revert from that.

A heart that has been born again has the ability to be led by the Holy Spirit and to give as God directs it.

And the tithe? The tithe is law and it has no place in the church. The tithe is not a part of the New Testament gospel that we have inherited.

The problem of tithe has become particularly endemic in church today. But nowhere in the New Testament do we read about the tithe. Even when Jesus spoke about the tithe, remember He was speaking before the crucifixion. A lot of things changed after the crucifixion.

Paul does not speak about tithing. Nor does James. Nor Peter, nor Jude, nor John. No apostle ever told the church to tithe.

How come then that the tithe is emphasized so much in church today? Is there not something amiss there? Indeed there is. The spirit of the law is there. And where the law is there is flesh, and sin.

And what is it with the law? The Bible says that the law “was added because of transgressions” (Gal. 3:19). In other words, the law was injected because of sin. It was brought in to put a lid on sin. But when grace came, the lid was removed, so we may serve God in freedom.

Christ’s sacrifice on Calvary dealt with sin once and for all. Therefore, as far as the believer is concerned, sin is no longer there. Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient to cover every believer’s sin.

We therefore do not need law to try and put a lid on sin (for that is all that law can do, it can do no more). The grace that Christ brought is more than sufficient to deliver us from the power of sin.

Ever since we at Zion Gospel Assembly heard the gospel of the revelation of the grace of God many years ago, we stopped tithing in our church. Not that we stopped people from tithing – if someone feels they need to continue tithing they are free to do so! But we as a church discovered that the tithe is meaningless under the New Covenant, and we stopped preaching on it. Let’s just say we set people free to be who they are and to give to God in freedom.

This may have reduced our church offerings, but we are comfortable with that. We have faith that one day, as the revelation of God continues to work in men and women’s hearts, people will continue to grow in God’s grace and one day they will find themselves giving infinitely more than they did under law.

The church today needs to wake up and stop serving God under the law. This will never do with God. God has proclaimed it is by grace, and by grace it will have to be! Grace means total freedom to be led by the Holy Spirit. That is the meaning of grace.

[Below: Enjoy!]

What You See…

44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46

A brother and I were discussing this verse recently and he asked me whether I had ever seen a pearl. I told him no. He told me he had also never seen one.

To our amazement we found that neither of us had ever even heard of anyone who had seen a pearl, let alone own one.

From the scripture above, it appears that a pearl is something of incredibly great value. Jesus compared it with hidden treasure. He also said this pearl was something for which someone – in one instance an astute merchant man – was willing to go sell all that he had to come buy it.

You notice also that the men mentioned in these verses of scripture were seeking after something – something of value. And when they found it, they let go of everything they had, that they might gain this thing, which was the object of their heart’s desire.

I might never live to see a pearl in the natural. But I do know that I saw something the day I heard the gospel of the cross preached. There is no doubt about that. I found what my heart had been seeking for all my life long. In the revelation of the cross I found Truth.

When I heard the gospel of the cross, it shook me. I will be forever grateful to God for enabling me to see something of value in the cross. When I say “me” I mean my spirit, of course. Were I dependent on my mind, I would have run away from it, it shook me so bad. But I saw something. I can never explain what it was that made me to stay around after I had heard a gospel that brought the sword to my heart. But I am sure my spirit saw something, and that was why I stayed. And I am still right there.

One of Apostle Paul’s prayers for the churches was that their spiritual eyes might be opened. “What you see is what you get”, they say.

I once heard of an ‘apostle of money’. In other words, this ‘apostle’ sees money, and he preaches money. No doubt his followers also see money.

Today there are ‘apostles’ for every commodity, on earth and in heaven.

But the revelation of the cross causes you to focus on the all-important aspect of the gospel – the crucifixion of the flesh.

A lack of this revelation leads to a gratification of the flesh. There are many Christians today gratifying the flesh “in the Name of Jesus”.

The Apostle Paul knew where to find the life: it was in identifying his life with the sufferings and death of Christ. Have you ever wondered why Paul would want to “know” nothing among the Corinthians “save Jesus Christ, and him crucified”? (1 Cor. 2:2) There is much food for thought there.

Ever since my heart grasped the revelation of the cross, my focus has been drastically changed. I desire only one thing: to know Him and His sufferings and death that “if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11). It is the life of Christ that I seek after. I am not perfect, which makes me wonder how long it took these gentlemen to “sell all they had”. Certainly not as long as I am taking; but I am assured in my heart that as long as my eyes stay focused on that pearl – the cross and the grace to be found therein – I will one day find myself in God’s perfect will.

[Below: God’s Kingdom is way deep down in a man’s heart]

Slaves… Of God Or Of Men?

My church denomination, Zion Gospel Assembly, is affiliated with a ministry called Church Team Ministries International (www.ctmiword.com). CTMI is a ministry located in the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, off the East African coast.

The head of this ministry is Brother Miki Hardy. It is through this ministry that we in our humble church happened to hear the gospel of the cross many years ago. I thank God exceedingly that He enabled us to open our hearts and to receive this gospel. Since then, this gospel has continued to become a revelation in our hearts, and increasingly we see that the plan of God for His church is for the born-again believer to die to sin through identifying our lives with the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Hence, the gospel of the cross: “We preach Christ and Him crucified”.

Recently, I was talking to one of my church members here in Singida about CTMI. Being new to the gospel of the cross, the brother does not know much about CTMI, so now and then I keep filling him in on its details and workings. On this particular day, as I was talking I mentioned that CTMI, unlike other ministries, does not give financial support to the pastors who work with them.

CTMI does support its affiliate pastors and churches in many ways, including giving specific financial support where necessary, but I was telling him about how it does not, as a ministry, give its affiliate pastors a monthly stipend or something of the sort as a way of ‘working’ with them or as an incentive for them to stay in the ministry. Nor does it conform to the ministerial norm of the rich giving to the poor.

“Actually”, I said, “CTMI quite often asks us for contributions for the various ministry needs it has.”

“Well”, the brother said after a long pause, “Miki has raised you well.”

I was stunned. I had never looked at this issue in that light. I had never thought of it as being “raised”. True, it is not easy for a poor Third World pastor to work with a ‘Western’ ministry that does not give out money. But I had simply considered it a necessary part of the gospel we have been called upon to live, no more. Certainly not in the light this brother has seen it.

Now this brother says, “Miki has raised you well”! In an instant I saw the depth of revelation that this brother had received. He should have been my pastor, not I his! I was truly humbled – and grateful to God that He has given me such a man to be by my side.

It is no secret that the money bug has bitten and harmed the church, and in more ways than one. Many African preachers I know of are not free to serve God in total freedom because in one way or another they are into unhealthy financial relationships with Western ministries. In many cases it becomes a case of he who holds the purse-strings has the gospel, something which is totally unscriptural.

That is why there is a problem within our churches here in Africa: you find in many churches the board of eldership is composed of the rich and well-to-do. The poor are simply ignored.

The church has failed to take note of the fact that money is the god of this world, and that it would be inconceivable for Satan not to attempt to use it to undermine the church of Jesus Christ. Having thus slept on the job, the church has allowed Satan to create complex relationships where the receiver becomes no longer a servant of Jesus Christ, but of men.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving and receiving. The Apostle Paul in exhorting the Corinthian church to give to the poor saints in Jerusalem writes:

“7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also… 13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: 14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality”. 2 Cor. 8:7-14

And John the Baptist defined the gospel in this manner: “He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.” Lk. 3:11

Giving is the heart of the gospel.

But money is a veritable breeding ground for evil motives. And today it is not a matter of there being bits and pieces of evidence regarding this. In many of the environments where the gospel should have sounded out with much power, there is hardly so much as a squeak! Unhealthy relationships have been built between the giver and the receiver, and the power of the gospel has been stymied.

But God can only work in an environment of true freedom.

When poor pastors begin expecting gifts and stipends from their rich Western brethren without the revelation of the cross in their hearts, it is the beginning of the end for the gospel to shine in their lives. They are no longer free. Whatever deposit of the gospel that God had put in their hearts is held at ransom by the unscriptural attitude of both the giver and the receiver.

We need to be free in giving as well as in receiving.

I remember many years ago I was in Musoma and an American preacher was coming to preach in town. All the church leaders quickly gathered together and drew up a budget which in my naiveté I thought we would be contributing to. But, alas! the entire budget was for the American preacher to meet. It ran into a few million shillings, and within the budget there were pastors’ and even ‘prayer warriors’’ daily allowances!

When the American preacher arrived, a kilometre-long convoy went out to meet him some miles outside of town. That was almost the entire church leadership in Musoma. Not knowing any better, I was there too. Of course, it is good to welcome a visitor in every good way possible, but it is the motive that was all wrong here.

We escorted him into town with dance and song, and that very evening we began to ‘eat’ his money.

I am glad I am working under CTMI and I am daily learning to be free to serve God, and not men. You realize, of course, the context in which I am using the phrase “not men” here. There is a sense in which we serve men and not God, and that is not good.

Certainly a death is required there and I will gladly partake of it. I will do it as much for my own sake as for my friend’s sake, the brother whom God has given to be such an encouragement to me here in Singida.

[Below: Brother Miki and his wife, Audrey]

Of Worldly Wealth And God’s Kingdom – Part 3

… So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Luk. 12:21

This is the last post in this series.

There is something we read of here called ‘laying up treasure for oneself’ and there is another thing called ‘being rich toward God’. These are two contrary states, and they both reside in the heart of man.

Let us conclude our discussion by saying that this is a battle for the heart of man. Money, or wealth, is the undisputed god of this world; and our God is the God of heaven. One is natural. The other is spiritual. Both are striving for control of our hearts. Mark that, and beware.

This does not mean that Christians are not allowed to become rich or to own wealth. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about being rich or being poor in the natural. Indeed, the gospel is not natural in any sense. It is something spiritual.

Our father Abraham was one of the richest men that lived in his day. But the fact about Abraham was that his heart was never set on or taken up with the things of this world. He saw something in his spirit for which he was willing even to sacrifice these things.

If you as a born-again believer see something in the spirit for which you are willing to sacrifice everything you have, including your own life, then you are a spiritual person. It is as simple as that.

The Bible says this about Abraham: “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise” (Heb. 11:9). Our spiritual forefathers were extremely rich in the natural, but they dwelt in tents! Long before Abraham was born men were building towers of brick and mortar (Genesis 11:3). He and his sons could have built similar structures. But they chose to live in tents.

Verse 10 tells us the reason why. “For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

Abraham was not interested in this life. On the contrary, he sought after the things that make a man “rich toward God”. Much is written about Abraham in the Bible and in all of them we see a man of a Godly and noble character:

–         He was magnanimous and humble (He allowed his nephew Lot to choose which portion of Abraham’s inheritance to take);

–         he was loyal (he went to Lot’s rescue);

–         he was kind and generous (his ministry to the angels, whom he initially thought were men!);

–         he was merciful (he stood pleading for sinful Sodom in the presence of the Lord). In short, Abraham was rich in the things that pertain to Godliness. He had the heart of God.

In the final analysis, it is not about believers owning wealth or not. It is about making sure that our hearts are not given to the spirit of this world, but are caught by a vision of heaven. It is about not walking in the natural, but by faith. Faith is what sees into God’s Kingdom.

The Apostle Paul was not as rich as Abraham was. And yet in the spirit he lived the same lifestyle that Abraham lived. He lived a life of the Spirit. This was because he lived a life of faith that saw in the spirit. He says: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Gal. 2:20-21).

Notice Paul says that the life he lived in the flesh he lived by faith. That means that even though he lived the same earthly world that you and I are living, he was not bound by this natural life. What a spiritually fulfilling life he must have lived!

Notice he also says he does not “frustrate” the grace of God. That means he does not deny the Spirit’s role in his life. His life was controlled 100% by the grace of God, not by what he had or what he knew in the natural. That is the faith that we ought to have. In every condition, rich or poor, intelligent or less intelligent, whatever our natural state, we are to FULLY acknowledge God’s grace in our lives. That is what faith is all about.

In 1 Timothy6:5, the Apostle Paul warned Timothy about those Christians who supposed that “gain is godliness.” He was talking about people who would equate being rich with being ‘spiritual’. They would think that the more they have, the more they know or are known by God. These are people who cannot see into the spirit and therefore have no faith. We could say they are in it for the money. But their spirits are empty. Remember money is a natural thing. It is not spiritual.

Paul here is talking about the people who subscribe to what is popularly known today as the gospel of prosperity. It is sad, but a majority of the church are in this group today.   

Paul tells Timothy, “From such withdraw thyself.”

In other words, he is telling him, ‘Do not allow yourself to be in that group. Do not receive those teachings. Do not be a part of them.’

That’s tough language. But the gospel is all about “the strong meat of the gospel”! Heb. 5:14

He continues in 1 Timothy 6:6-12, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

We could own the world. God has no problem with that. But He wants us to live by faith. Many times we think that only the poor should live by faith. But as we just saw with Abraham, we are all called into a life of faith. Faith is what pleases God. Faith also is what makes us to see into the spiritual kingdom and live out the life of God in us.

Of Worldly Wealth And God’s Kingdom – Part 1

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Mat 19:21

We all know the sad ending to this story. The Bible says that the rich man went away sorrowful, “for he had great possessions.”

Actually, I think Jesus ought to have called that young man back. He ought to have called him back and worked out a bargain with him. That is what I think. I mean, you can’t be too tough on a man! The problem, I think, was that Jesus had never owned wealth, and He had no idea how difficult it was for people to make money. And for Him to casually ask one to go throw all his life’s savings into the lake was a bit insensitive, to say the least.

But, anyway, considering that Jesus did not call the young man back, let us see how we can handle His words. The words appear a bit difficult to carry out exactly as set out here, so let us look at the options. The good thing about scripture is that you can turn it any way you want, so let us turn it slightly sideways and see whether we cannot arrive at the conclusion that probably Jesus wanted this man to sell his property, keep the money, but to make sure no poor soul ever passed by his door without getting help from him? or any other conclusion except that Jesus wanted this young man to go SELL HIS PROPERTY, GIVE ALL THE PROCEEDINGS TO THE POOR AND REMAIN WITH ONLY THE CLOTHES ON HIS BACK – and then he could come follow Jesus.

There is nothing as frustrating as missing the nail’s head when you are hitting it. If you keep missing, the head becomes bent and from there on the hammer will keep slipping off the head.

Jesus never, ever made that mistake. He always made sure to hit the nail on the head.

I remember also one time in school we had an archery competition. I was in one of the teams and as the competition got underway, the situation gradually inched towards the point of near-certainty that none of us would be picking the prize because half the arrows landed everywhere on the target board except where they were needed. The other half missed the target board entirely. The spectators had to be pushed way back to a safe distance when it became clear the arrows could land anywhere!

And then, by a stroke of luck, one of my arrows hit the bulls-eye, dead in the center. The rest, as they say, is history. Had I won the presidency of the United States of America, I doubt I would have won the recognition that I did that day…

It is not easy to hit the bulls-eye. Nor is it easy to hit the spiritual mark, either. But Jesus always hit the mark. In this case He hit it big. In fact, He hit it so big that His disciples, on hearing His words, “were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?” verse 19:25. In other words, they were astounded beyond belief.

But Jesus was not seeking to make ‘history’ by His statements. The fact is, He could scarcely have said anything different. He spoke those words only because there was nothing different for Him to say. Had there been, He would have said it. Had there been a ‘softer’ way for Jesus to show this rich, young man into the Kingdom of God, you can bet your last dollar He would have said it.

The lure of money is formidable and few people are willing to tamper with this powerful force! It is not easy to hear these words of Jesus spoken in any pulpit today. That doesn’t mean there are not men of God who can and who do stand up against the god of money. But it is an uphill task.

Jesus’ words are bad news to our flesh, just as it was bad news for the rich young ruler. In essence, Jesus was making the point (both to the young ruler and to His disciples) that worldly wealth has no place in the Kingdom of God. “Go ditch it and come follow me”. That was the unfortunate news He was ‘leaking’ out.

Jesus was showing this young man the way of the cross. But it proved just too hard for him.

And Job said, “Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither… In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” (Job 1:21-22).

The Apostle Paul says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Rom. 8:35-36).

Do I see the word “death” there? I am convinced that God has a few more things He wants us to give up in order to gain His Kingdom. Maybe even our very lives! We just aren’t aware.

Alas! I, too, am all too human. There are times when I find myself dreaming of ‘all that money’ and I have to kick myself awake. Money can easily blind one to the things of the Kingdom of God.

It is a great day indeed when I can find myself going through any slight hardship or discomfort for the Kingdom and to rejoice therein. There is no greater indicator for me that I am in the perfect will of God.

If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.

What’s Important?

Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. 2 Ki. 4:1-2

Everything appears dark in this account, but I see only light.

In the first place, I admire this woman. She could say of her husband, “thy servant did fear the LORD”. There could be no greater testimony to the piety of this man of God than such words coming from his wife. (Now, right here and as an aside, let me point out that today there are people who will publicly talk well of their spouses but, alas! it is only that – a publicity stunt! This was not the case with this woman.)

Back to our man. This poor servant of God died poor. He died leaving nothing in his house “save a pot of oil”! On top of that, he died in debt. And the creditor was coming to sell his two sons to regain his money!

We can’t begin to imagine the anguish of heart that this man must have gone to the grave bearing for the life of deprivation that he knew he had left his family with!

Well, the man died poor all right, but I like what his wife tells Elisha about him: “thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD”.  This meant that even Elisha knew and could testify about the God-fearing life of this man. I like that. I like the fact that this man died fearing the Lord. That clicks with me. I am sure that was enough for God, too. This man was a great man in the sight of the Lord. I can easily tell you what happened to him when he died. He was immediately ushered into the presence of his Master where he was warmly told (by God Himself), “Come and sit by my side, thou good and faithful servant!”

Actually, the important thing in all this is that this man lived a God-fearing life. His state of need in this world did not lessen his piousness in the sight of God. You know, people today are trying to convince you that possessing material wealth is the sure marker that God is with you. They tell you that you will not borrow, but you will lend. In a rather hush-hush manner, poverty is now officially on the list of church ‘sins’ today. As a result of these damaging hyper-beliefs Christians are visibly struggling to keep up with the Joneses. They do not want to appear they are not blessed. What a futile race!

But here we see a righteous man who died not only poor, but in debt. This was a man who was running a different race. In his deep poverty, he could actually serve God in true liberty!

I don’t care one little bit about all the teachings about how wrong it is to be poor and in need, or even to be in debt. All I care about is that this man died in the fear of the Lord. I think I like it that way far much better than if he died rich. It beats all the pride and arrogance out of anyone, particularly those who put their trust in worldly wealth.

And actually, with regard to this, some people are completely out of touch with reality. I think they need to get out of their mansions and move around a bit. There are people in my part of the world who live in such abject poverty that all these stories about prosperity are so much confetti to them. These people live by faith. They literally trust in God for their very next meal. But in their state of want they are serving God in the Spirit. Someone who lives in ‘cloud nine’ or wherever, filled to the brim with the fat of this world, will turn over in their soft beds and claim, “I thank you, God, because I am not like these fellows who have no faith.”

But I can assure you that they have faith. The fact that this man died poor and in debt but walking in the fear of the Lord makes the point that money or worldly riches is nothing in God’s Kingdom. Money is not what comprises serving the Lord.

Someone almost had us there! Are you safe?

I can answer that question for you. It all depends on the gospel you are hearing. When you are hearing the right gospel, you will know what is important with God. True prosperity is the fear of God that a man carries in his heart.

By the way, do you see any signs of the cross in the life of this humble man of God?

We Bring Life By Suffering – Part 1

If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. 2 Cor. 11:30

This is undoubtedly one of the most profound statements in the Bible made by a man apart from Christ.

It is impossible for a person who has not suffered in the flesh to bring life into the Church. He may preach and do many things in the Church; but he will not bring life. I am not talking about this physical life. There are many things that we do, even in church, that bring life to us in the natural. And it is a man’s right to boast in whatever they have accomplished.

Today there are born-again Christians who have been ‘perfected’ in the flesh. They can therefore boast in the things of the flesh. A man was speaking at an open-air evangelistic meeting in one of our major towns and he said, “I have more than one degree. I have more than one car. I am not a thief. I am a big executive in one of the biggest banks in this country. My car that you see parked there is brand new, as you can see; I just removed it from its wrappings!”

Unbelievable, but true. He went on to say that his certificates had been prayed upon by anointed men of God, and that was how his journey to glory began. He was trying to point out that we born-again Christians are not supposed to live low-class lives; that we are to live the high life because we are blessed!

It is unfortunate, but the Church of Christ has been brought to the place where it believes that that is the life God has for them. Today, you are expected to apologise if you touch negatively on this aspect of the Christian life. You are supposed to say, every time, “God is not against us prospering materially, but…”

It is time to stop saying that. It is time to boldly reproof a Church that is clearly becoming more and more materialistic-minded.

When the Bible talks about life, it talks about the life of the Spirit, the life of Christ.

The Bible says we are to be “living stones” (1 Pet. 2:5). That means we have died with Christ and risen with Him. There are no short-cuts to becoming a “living stone” in the Body of Christ. The Bible also says that “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Mat. 7:14. I have asked this question here before, but I will ask it again: How can we believe that the many masses in churches today are truly following that narrow road? Jesus Himself said that “few there be that find it”.

The Apostle Paul was as human as you and I. When therefore God decided to work in him in order for him to become an effective vessel for Him, Paul instinctively tried to resist. It was painful. He says he prayed three times for God to remove the thorn from his flesh. Three times! For a man of the calibre of Paul to pray three times for God to set him free from a certain situation, it shows how difficult it will be even for us to accept the will of God in our lives.

But God was adamant. He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”(2 Cor. 12:9). In other words, God told Paul, “No, my friend, I want to use you; and that is the only way you can become of any use to me. I have no alternative but to break you down.”

The Apostle Paul received much grace from the Lord. Why? Because he came to understand what the Lord wanted to do and he agreed to align his life with what God wanted to do in his life. He obeyed God. Immediately thereafter, Paul says, “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2 Cor. 12:10

It is not easy to obey God. It needs the grace of God. I have heard of people saying they obeyed God and He blessed them with this and that material blessing. That is so easy! If someone tells me to “plant a seed” of so much money so that I may “harvest” a hundredfold, that is so easy and comfortable to do.

But it is time to believe and obey God in enduring suffering on His behalf.

Peddlers of the Gospel, Enemies of the Cross – Part 2

For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. 2 Cor. 2:17

Notice here that, just as in the scripture in Philippians 3:18 concerning the enemies of the cross, these people who corrupt the gospel (or peddlers of the gospel) Paul says they are ‘many’.

The people that Paul is talking about in both scriptures are, unfortunately, preachers. We probably think the Church is safe today. It is not.

Who is a peddler of the gospel? What does the word ‘peddle’ mean, in the first place? From my computer’s Thesaurus it means ‘to sell’, ‘to vend’, ‘to market’, ‘to hawk’. One version says to ‘hype’.

So there are venders, sellers, hawkers and marketers of the gospel. The last lot must be the upper-crust, the more sophisticated.

There are also ‘hypers’ of the gospel. Here hysteria rules. I have seen on TV in some church service in the US, someone was preaching and people were hysterically waving kerchiefs and screaming their heads off and pawing at the air and at the same time they were doing this the preacher was preaching even more violently and they were screaming louder and louder with no let-up, and that went on and on; and 30 minutes later I realized I hadn’t heard one word the preacher was saying and I thought, “They must be catching something in the spirit!”

Those are the hypers.

But there are the venders, sellers and marketers. This is the really dangerous group. Now, here Paul is not talking necessarily about those who tell you to give money so that you might receive this and that blessing. These are simply crooks who prey on the gullibility of simple folk. But they are also an offshoot of that other gospel.

More importantly, Paul is talking about what today we have come to accept as the gospel – a gospel that deals with and talks about what a Christian can get in this material world. It is a gospel which, in effect, panders to the flesh. This is a gospel that tears out one scripture from the Bible and runs away with it. It is the gospel that tells you that Jesus became poor so that we might become rich: and, ever so slightly, it turns that scripture to mean that Jesus became poor so we might become rich in money and the material things of this world. It is a gospel that tells you that God wants you to live a comfortable life in this world because that is what Christ died for.

But the Word of God never talks about us becoming rich in this world. Jesus did not come from heaven to die for the riches of this world.

The preachers who preach this kind of gospel are they whom Paul calls the enemies of the cross of Christ. The enemy of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not the Devil. It is the carnal Christian, especially a worldly-minded preacher. And these are many in the Church today.

In Romans 8 the Bible says that the carnal nature does not, nor cannot obey God’s law. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 15:47,48, “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.”

The Bible says clearly here that there is an earthy man, and that his desires are earthy. In other words, the carnal nature within him lusts after this world and the things in it. We born-again believers are of the second Adam, “the Lord from heaven.” We are spiritual. We have no business with the first man. We are not of that stock. We are of the second man, “the Lord from heaven.” Our desires and our vision is heavenly. May the Lord be praised for that!

Jesus did not have much to say about this earthly life. He said simply, “31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

He said to seek first the Kingdom of God.

That is why the apostles could go hungry and naked. That is why they could undergo all those lacks and still carry the plan and purpose of God in their hearts. They were spiritual.